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Toys Are Not for Children is a queasy, troubling, and at times highly twisted example of early 1970’s psychodrama- it follows an emotionally stunted twenty-something woman who obsessed with toys & finding her father. It brings together themes of parental abuse, sex, and manipulation to create a film that slow, but surely creeps up & general unsettles/freaks you out. Here from Arrow Video is a recent Blu Ray reissue of this lesser-known slice of US exploitation- which really wouldn’t have been out of place on the recent second volume of the American Horror Project box set- and fittingly we get Stephen Thrower- who curated said set turning up on the extras, as do respected exploitation/ cult film commentators Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain.
3 From Hell finds controversial horror auteur Rob Zombie (literally) resurrecting the most popular characters of his career- whether you call it the third part in the Firefly trilogy, the third film in the House Of A 1000 Copses series, or The Devils Rejects sequel. Here’s 3 From Hell, and I must say after getting ready to be disappointed I was pleasantly surprised, if not wholly satisfied by what we have here. From Lionsgate here is the Blu Ray release of the film-bringing together a director's commentary & an hour & half making-of doc.
Border Woods sees the welcome return of respected & versatile Norwegian accordionist and bandleader Frode Haltli. This new six-track album sees Haltli embracing both traditional & buoyant folk-to-ethnic melodies, as well as more playful & angular moments, through to acoustic set dark ambience- so it really does feel like a sonic trip into the woods, that shifts from forbidding & creepy, onto brighter, playful & inspired, back to darker more angular territories.
As we all know, the modern version of Black Metal, originated in Scandinavia. Almost thirty years have passed since then, but interest in the Scandinavian Black Metal bands is still high. This applies to both veterans and newcomers of the scene. Swedish band Patronymicon can hardly be called as newcomers, as they started the band in 2008. Though they are not the most prolific- as their discography only features four releases - these takes in 2010 self released mini-album Coldborn, and two full full-length albums - 2011’s Prime Omega and 2013’s All Daggers Towards The Sky, and lastly the release to hand their third full length Ushered Forth By Cloven Tongue which released by respected French label metal label Osmose Productions as either a CD, LP, or as a digital download.
They Made Me a Fugitive is a little known British film noir from 1947 directed by Brazilian born director Alberto Cavalcanti, based on the Jackson Budd novel of the same name and with a screenplay by Noel Langley, who was one of the screenwriters for Victor Fleming’s classic, The Wizard of Oz.
90° In The Shade is a rather grim, carefully paced, yet often an intriguing blend of drama and lo-key thriller.The mid-1960’s film is a Anglo-Czech production, and from Powerhouse, here's a new Blu ray release of this lesser-seen picture- taking in both English & Czech versions of the film,a new commentary track, and an interesting selection of extras.
Chronicling one of the world's smallest music scenes, Svart's Brutal Africa - The Heavy Metal Cowboys of Botswana hits at first like a very strange compilation. The styles are varied, the bands look very different from each other, and the music seems to span many periods. This is because the heavy metal scene in Botswana is very new (c. 2000), and there aren't very many active bands, so this is not only an overview of the entire scene, but basically a showcase of all the bands therein. Working alongside the makers of the documentary "Freedom in the Dark," Svart records put together an interesting snapshot of an interesting and growing scene.
Originally released in 1993 on legendary Japanese noise label Alchemy Metalvelodrome is a four-CD box set from Merzbow- the set highlights his versatility as a noise artists with material moving from playful and quirkier looped based compositions, searing ‘n’ spiralling harsh noise work-outs, noised-up industrial-like moments, and general creative/ varied noise making. From Italian label, Urashima here’s a much needed recent reissue of this classic 1990’s Merz-boxset- coming in an edition of 500 copies.
Lacrima Christi is the fourth in the Frühgeschichte series- which sees CD reissues of early recordings from Allerseelen – the Austrian industrial innovators who have been active since the late ’80s/ early ’90s.
L'Opposition Et Les Cases Conjuguées Sont Réconciliées was the second album from creative French brothers Marc and Eric Hurtado- the 1981 release showed the pair creating a daring, shifting & creative sonic tapestry of cut-up/ deranged vocals/ voices, field recordings, random noise matter, and all manner of sonic flotsam & Jetsam. On Klaggalerie Following up there CD reissue of the pairs 1980 debut album La Vue, here’s a recent CD reissue of their second album- which features a bonus unreleased track from the same period.
Forty-plus years after its initial release Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom remains one of the most notorious & controversial films of all time. Some see it as an excuse to shock and appal, while others look on it as a powerful and arty statement on both one of the blackest times in human history, and modern consumerism. From the BFI here we have a recent double Blu Ray reissue of the film- bringing together a restored print, a new commentary by the always worthy genre expert Kat Ellinger, a good selection extras, and a limited booklet bringing together reviews, BBFC correspondence exploring the film's troubled history, stills, and on-set photographs.
The Scuzzies is the very welcome return of unsettling underground animator Jimmy ScreamerClauz( of feature lengths When Black Birds Fly & Where The Dead Go To Die). This is new fifteen minute film- available from Jimmy’s website- is a truly deranged & grossly psychedelic ride of the highest order. It takes his obsession with unhinged childhood imagery, very unwell psychos, and spurting goo gore to new levels- sure it’s short, but damn does Jimmy gram in so many pupil searing & jaw-dropping images into the films quarter of an hour runtime.
Now here’s a title that screams B-movie shlock- Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity is prime sci-fi pulp fed through big haired ‘n’ big breasted 1980’s trashy campiness. From Full Moon here is a barebones region free Blu ray reissue of the film.
Felix Blume is a French sound artist who uses field recordings as the main basis for his sound. Felix is a certainly a very busy artists, arranging numerous interesting installations and participating in a large number of international festivals. Though his discography is fairly sparse, beginning in 2014, it takes in one EP, one Split EP, one mini-album and two full-length albums.
Raw Flint Wall #1 is the most recent release from this Norwich based wall-noise project that themes & focuses its work on natural/elemental forces. And as it’s title suggests the source material here is flint, with which the project creates this wonderful impactful, attention-grabbing, at times almost roughshod groove bound (well sort of) example of walled noise.
Chronic Shift is the new release from this Tuba trio who create richly buzzing & at times surprising soothing sound worlds. This two-track album is available as either an LP, or digital download- we’re reviewing the download.
Here’s a region free DVD release that brings together parts three & four of the Jake Hunter found-footage series Paranoia Tapes - but don’t be put off by not having seen the early parts- as this series really is a series of seemingly stand alone stories- using different casts & set-ups. The disc has a playtime of 162 minutes, with the quality moving competent-if- a little uneven, to sadly down-right clichéd and unbelievable- and that, of course, is the thing with found footage as a genre, you have to believe (to some extent) in what’s unfolding on the screen.
The latest folk-rock obscurity to be revived by Talking Elephant is the 1976 self-titled album from Edinburgh based Silly Wizard. Originally formed in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas, they spent two years playing a succession of free gigs before they managed to seal their first paid gig in 1972. A name was needed in a hurry and they settled on Silly Wizard. On the strength of that gig a host of other bookings ensued, and the band elected to stick with the name. A debut album was recorded in 1973, but alas the master tapes were lost, and it would never see the light of day. It took another three years before the band would finally release, this, their self-titled debut album.
Chinese sound artist, Yan Jun, brings his unique brand of sound to No Rent Records with Lanzhou. Limited to 100 C50, this minimalist looking cassette visually expresses the minimalist noise on the magnetic film within. Based on his succubus/old hag/ghost-on-bed nightmares, Lanzhou is an attempt to drive this paralyzed feeling away.
MUUR is a darkly obscure Berlin-based project, and Bod is a single track 51-minute slice of occult and blackly ambient focused ritual sound making. The work rises from the deepest abysses to redefine our world of modernity with its abysmal power and gives new space to the long-forgotten knowledge of our ancestors... It certainly gives us an intense listening experience, which requires isolated listening to let all the nuances of the recordings sink in.
I believe Ninco Nanco is the second physical release from this collaborative wall noise project, which brings together the minds behind Anonymous Masturbaudioum & Rien. Featured here are two thirteen minute tracks- that offering of a layer buffeting ‘n’ baying take on wall-matter…the release originally appeared in May of this year on a C30, but sadly these are now all gone- so ones only option is digital download from Ominous Records.
Following up from Happiness Is An Illusion last year's physical debut from Scottish wall noise venture The Dead Yesterdays- here’s Adrift In The Dark, which is a single hour-long wall from the project. As with Happiness Is An Illusion this release appears on northern English HNW/ noise label Void Singularity Recordings- coming as either a CDR or digital download.
The music of Moljebka Pulse is a shimmering, astral cave ambient, glinting like gemstones and gold coins with a steady trickle of groundwater dripping upon them. It is the project of one Swedish man Mathias Josefson, a very prolific composer who has created countless albums since debuting in 2000. For this new album Komoku, he is joined by collaborator John Bjorkmann.
From 2016 Kaleidoscope is a glum-yet-oddly compelling British psychological thriller featuring the always worthy Toby Jones- Berberian Sound Studio, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and the wonderful low-key brit comedy series Detectorists. In the film, he plays Carl- a socially awkward ex-con, who may or may not have killed a woman he invited back to his bleak, and memory-laden tower block flat. The film’s written & directed by Toby's brother Rupert- it’s his first feature-length film, and while it’s decidedly slow in it’s pace & sparse in it’s cast- together the two brothers managing to conjure up an effectively distinctive feel of British bleakness- imagine Mike Leigh making a slowly uncurling, moody and at times tense suburban thriller, and you’ll get an idea what Kaleidoscope is like.